I’VE not built the network I have on Linkedin by being particularly fussy when it comes to invitations.
While the rump of people I’m connected to I know well or have met at least once, I’ve always been keen to add those I don’t know if they look like they will be an interesting connection.
That doesn’t have to necessarily be in direct business sense, it could be that they write interesting articles, make perceptive comments or share relevant information.
Too often these days I’ll accept an invitation and then get an irrelevant message trying to set me up for a sales meeting.
Or simply a message saying: “How are you today?”
If they leave a couple of x’s after it I might have a closer look but I invariably delete these kind of approaches.
I’ve had an invitation sitting in my Linkedin inbox for a couple of weeks from someone I have never met or even heard of.
It is from a woman who describes herself as a: “Personality-Seer, Spiritual Activist, Poet, Writer, Room Reader”.
I might not have met her but she has clearly read the runes about me.
Or maybe it was in the tea leaves.
To be honest I shouldn’t be sceptical about her because she keeps some good company.
She recently did Room Reading for Kerry Katona.
Before we get to Kerry Katona, apparently: “Room Reading’s is a new concept that I created. It involves emotional energy and psychic intuition to transform lives.”
And I gather that: “Kerry has been transformed since my readings with her and is now becoming a life coach, she’s taken up yoga, and lost weight as well as given up smoking. She personally credited me in the national press for giving her closure.”
Given the number of tabloid headlines Kerry Katona’s car crash of a life has generated since her days in girl group Atomic Kitten and winning ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here’, I’d say it wouldn’t take much to improve her fortunes.
As to her new slimmer self, she was crediting that to weight loss injections in a tabloid interview earlier this year.
Anyway, my potential new “Spiritual Activist” connection on Linkedin believes her work with Kerry could open some doors to new opportunities.
“Kerry Katona would probably agree to film a ‘short’ with a view to someone commissioning a series.”
Apparently they already have a “banging” script written.
Given Kerry’s history, I wonder whether that is a wise word to use?
So what would this potential new TV series be all about?
My new Personality-Seer connection explains: “Me and celebs homes. It’s like a psychic hotel inspector… mixed with Through The Keyhole. Small changes make dramatic impact.
What do you think?”
Not a lot.
But given her self-proclaimed talent as a soothsayer, she probably knew I’d say that anyway.
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I ACHIEVED a longstanding ambition this week – to become a racehorse owner.
I’ve heard people say that as part of a syndicate they own the leg of a racehorse but given my investment was £59 I think I might be lucky if I can lay claim to a couple of strands of its mane.
But that doesn’t matter.
This was a donation to Burrow Seven, a fundraising campaign on behalf of former Leeds Rhinos rugby league star Rob Burrow.
I’ve written recently about the powerful and highly emotional BBC documentary about Rob, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease last December.
This week my friend, former PR man Malcolm Cowing told me about Burrow Seven, a unique fundraising campaign which aims to raise money for Rob Burrow’s Fight Back Fund with the MND Association.
They are raising the money through the creation of a horse racing club that invites people from all walks of life to get involved and buy a membership in a thoroughbred racehorse named Burrow Seven in honour of Rob.
He is one of 5,000 people in the UK every year that are diagnosed with this cruel and uncompromising degenerative disease for which there is currently no treatment and no cure.
I’ve seen how it affected a close family friend and when my Dad died two years ago my Mum chose to ask for donations to the MND Association.
All profits from membership sales will go towards Rob’s Fight Back Fund at the MND Association and be spent on MND research.
An email explains: “We hope that the funds invested in research will take us ever closer to the discovery of new treatments and ultimately a cure. There are several research projects underway that this campaign will contribute towards. These include studies to identify what causes MND, experiments into identifying the best treatments, research in order to better understand disease progression and improve the standards of healthcare that can have a direct impact on people with MND right now.”
Burrow Seven is based at Jedd O’Keeffe’s training yard in picturesque Middleham in the Yorkshire Dales.
His jockey Joe Colliver hopes to ride him in his first race in the New Year which is likely to be a National Hunt flat race but he will be trained as a jumper.
Those who have donated to the Burrow Seven racing club will have the chance to win opportunities to see him both in training and racing.
Given how hard I know the racing industry and Yorkshire’s racecourses have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, I’m really keen to visit the beautiful courses again around the county.
For more information go to www.burrowseven.com
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HAVING mentioned Malcolm Cowing, who many will know from his long career as a director at PR and marketing group Brahm, I should wish him a speedy recovery as he had knee replacement surgery yesterday.
Malcolm is one, or perhaps the only person I know who professes to be a big fan of the current US President.
I’m sure that by now he will have come round from the anaesthetic, put on his red Make America Great Again baseball cap and be logging into the Fox News website on his iPad to check on updates from Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the US presidential election result.
I just hope he doesn’t get too over-excited about The Donald which might be enough to convince the nurses there have been unforeseen side effects from the surgery and they give him a sedative to calm him down.
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AN email arrives from entrepreneur Richard Doyle, who founded the IT business Esteem Systems before going on to be involved in several other successful ventures.
“Reading your latest blog particularly the bit about Trump, I recalled one of the many great quotes attributed to Brian Clough and given your affection for the Rams I thought I would remind you of it: ‘Don’t argue with idiots. They’ll bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.’
A very nice line. It also reminded me that Richard has never picked an argument with me.
It must be because I’m too nice.
Have a great weekend.